CMO Sunday: Culture of Innovation

I had a fantastic conversation this week about why the team at B2BNN is so successful. I was explaining that we all have a shared foundation in Marketing and Technology (in one form or another).

With a common foundation, what makes our group unique? What helps us innovate?

We are at heart a digital business. Sure, we’re present for live events and in-person meetings, but B2BNN is a digital little world. We aren’t faced with the problem of how to transform digitally, we’re already there. So what can we possibly teach you?

It’s all summed up in this tweet. To innovate and transform you business these are the must-haves. We may have some shared interests, but our backgrounds provide us with unique perspectives that only we as individuals can bring to discussions. We’re an elite squad who moves together through all of these areas:

You need to start by empowering your people, and creating an environment where they can thrive.

Empower your people. You’ve hired people who love what they do (presumably). Let them do it.

Everyone is human, and we all make mistakes. We don’t learn to run without learning to walk first, and we don’t learn to walk without falling down, a lot. Trust them to get back up, brush off their knees, and learn. Have a conversation about what went wrong, and what went right. Let everyone have a voice in a safe place.

Although in our group we have a common interest in marketing and technology, we all come from different backgrounds, with unique perspectives. We learn something new every day, and it makes us all the better for it. If we hired only like-minded people, with the same stories, how boring would that be?

I can’t even say it’s more important than these things, but collaboration is vital. We do not work in silos. We talk daily (it’s a really off day if we don’t), but most importantly we listen.

So I’ll round out the CMO Sundays in our Transformation Issue with a final thought. With all the trending conversations about innovation, Blockchain, AI, Machine Learning, UX, Immersive Experiences, Social Networks, Security, or Virtual Assistants…at the heart of it all is… the people. We’re innovating for our businesses, and for ourselves.

Kris Schulze

Founder & CMO at Scribble Lance Consulting

Kris is the former CMO of B2B News Network. She's a Certified Content Marketing Specialist with a degree in languages, and too many years of experience in marketing and media to mention. Kris has spent her career collecting knowledge in content and product marketing, writing, and working for some well known brands.